Hoylake 1st XV v's Glossop 1st XV

Hoylake 24
Glossop 17

After one of the most dominant first half performances seen at Melrose Avenue for several years, Hoylake were disappointed to just scrape a victory in the end against a slow-starting Glossop side.

Hoylake took about 15 minutes to break down the visitors' defence but eventually finished the half 24-0 to the good. Outstanding tries from Matt O'Neill, Tom Selby-Milic and Matt McLaren were added to by Stephen Young who slotted all 3 conversions and a penalty.

As thoughts turned to a bonus point and a points difference boosting victory, Glossop had other ideas. From the start of the second half, the hosts were placed firmly on the back foot. A well worked try, resulting from a scrum on the halfway line following the loose restart to the half put Glossop back in the game. Hoylake inexplicably started missing tackles and giving away penalties, handing the typically big Glossop pack the opportunity to camp themselves deep in the Hoylake 22.

The pressure was then unrelenting for the vast majority of the second half. Credit should go to the Hoylake team though, who did show considerable resilience in defending their own line. 2 further tries were scored by Glossop and they were unlucky to have a third chalked off.

The last 5 minutes saw Hoylake finally break out of their own half and attention turned to the bonus point once more. As it was, poor handling let them down. Stephen Young had a chance to extend the lead with the final kick of the game, but he opted instead for the safety of the touch line, giving Glossop the bonus point their 2nd half performance deserved.

The Sponsor's Man of the Match Award went to the 'find of the season', flanker Rob Shaw. He was closely followed by Tom Selby-Milic who was singled out for praise by Coach Jones.

Hoylake host a resurgent Sale on Saturday, in a rearranged league fixture. Hoylake will be hoping that they can build on their first half performance against Glossop and sustain their phase play for 80 minutes. As usual, Hoylake have several key players unavailable for selection but have some seasoned campaigners to call upon, as they seek to improve their league position against their bogey side.